Family ties
by lorcheto
Summary: AU. Mike is Harvey's estranged younger brother, and after the death of their father, the two brothers reconnect, as they try to deal with their loss. Mike: age 15, Harvey, age 21. Marcus, who is a year younger than Harvey will also make a few brief appearances, and so will Donna, who will be Harvey's high school sweetheart.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: AU. Mike is Harvey's estranged younger brother, and after the death of their father, the two brothers reconnect, as they try to deal with their loss. Mike: age 15, Harvey, age 21. Marcus, who is a year younger than Harvey will also make a few brief appearances, and so will Donna, who will be Harvey's high school sweetheart.**

 **Family ties**

 **Chapter one: Prologue**

Harvey Specter was happy. He was at the top of his class in Harvard Law, he was dating Dana Scott, the smartest girl on campus, and he was also about to clerk in one of the most prestigious firms in New York – Pearson Hardman. Life couldn't be better for him.

But one phone call in the middle of the night changed it all. It was three in the morning when his cell phone woke him and his girlfriend up. Harvey reached to his counter and frowned when he saw the caller ID: "Marcus". That was never a good sign, especially at 3 in the morning.. Usually Marcus only called when there was an emergency.

"Hey, do you know what time it is?" asked Harvey ,after he picked up the phone.

" _Harvey… there's been an accident! Dad…..he died on impact….and Mike is in a hospital."_

Harvey sat up immediately and started getting dressed.

"What? What hospital is he in?"

"What is going on, Harvey?" asked Scottie, who was just waking up. Harvey just ignored her and started writing down the address of the hospital.

"Okay, I will be there as soon as I can, okay. Call me if anything changes." Said Harvey and hung up and turned to Scottie.

"My family has been in an accident. My parents are dead and my brother is in a hospital…I need to go there."

"What? You have a brother?!" asked Scottie.

"Yes, I do. Two of them actually. My youngest brother is in the hospital. His is name is Mike, he is a real pain in the ass, he is 15 years old and he needs me right now." Said Harvey.

"How come you never told me about him or about anyone from your family for that matter?"

"It is a long story. I will tell you later, I promise, but now, I have to get to New York." Said Harvey and kissed his girlfriend goodbye.

Afterwards he took his car keys and started driving towards New York.

While he was driving he started reminiscing about what really happened between him and his father.

Harvey sighed, as he remembered the days when his father did show his affection towards his children and it was obvious that he loved all of his children and wanted what was best for them. He remembered when his mother Lily, was alive and everything was well in his family. He remembered, how happy his parents were when they found out that they were going to have third child, especially since his mother was told that she couldn't have more children. He remembered how his parents talked about names and stuff, and he and his brother Marcus would listen in on their conversations, and their parents would come upstairs and scold them for eavesdropping instead of sleeping, or doing their homework.

But after Lily passed away, while giving birth to his youngest brother Michael, it all started to go downhill. His father started drinking, and ignoring all of them. Harvey and Marcus, who were only children themselves, were left to care for themselves and their baby brother and they would rely very often on their grandmother Edith, who lived in Queens. Their grandmother helped them a lot, when Mike was younger, and the two of them had a very strong bond. However, as years went by, Edith's health began to deteriorate and she was in and out of the hospital, so she couldn't come over anymore. Of course, Harvey would drop Mike over before he went to school and after Mike started to go to school, he had very strict instructions to go straight to his grandmother's house and finish his homework.

Even though, his grandmother did help a lot with Mike, Harvey was still forced to grow up quickly, and started taking care of Marcus, Mike and himself at the same time. He developed a strong bond with his brothers and was the one who protected both of them from the occasional wrath of their father, which was especially worse towards Mike. When they were younger, both Harvey and Marcus taught Mike how to fight and would always take the blame for him no matter what he had done, because they knew that if their father was angry with them, he'd go easy on them, while if it was Mike, well, let's just say, that Harvey always warned Mike to stay off his father's bad side and to stay clear of their father when he was drunk or angry.

Harvey had theory, that along with Lily, something inside his father died too and some unconscious part of his father blamed Michael for Lily's death.

Their father owned a grocery shop, and when he wasn't too drunk, he would go there and he would make Harvey and Marcus go and help him there, after school and he didn't care whether they had homework or not. However, Harvey worked out schedule, so that all three of them could do their homework and help their father in the same time.

As the years went by, their father only got worse. He would stay at home all day drinking and rely on his sons to take care of the shop and of him. Harvey and Marcus both started juggling school and the store. Mike helped out too, of course, after he was done with his homework. Harvey was adamant that he was not to come into the store until he was finished with his assignments, something which Mike did faster than most of the kids his age did. Harvey had always been amazed with the kid's ability to finish all his homework and all of his assignments in the matter of two hours.

Out of the three of them, Mike was the smartest. He had this magnificent memory, that allowed him to remember every single detail. He loved to read, and he was one of the few kids, who actually enjoyed going to school, and Harvey liked that about him. He always said that Mike was destined for greatness, something that his father never seemed to see.

Their father never saw absolutely anything. It was like he was living in his own imaginary world, and whenever someone would snap him out of it, he would lash out on them.

Eventually, Marcus got sick of his father's demands, and when he was 15 and got emancipated and went to live with his girlfriend in Brooklyn, leaving Harvey alone with Mike and their father.

So, at the age of 16, Harvey was already responsible for his 10 year old brother and for his father and the store. However, after the money that they made from the store weren't enough, he had to take a second job at a mail room in a law firm. He remembered the first time he saw Jessica Pearson and developed a relationship with her. She was the only one, who ever saw him as anything more. He remembered the last night he spent in his old house with his father and his brother, like it was yesterday.

 **3 years ago.**

" _So, this Jessica Pearson offered to pay for your education and you are going to take advantage of that! Is that it? Do you think I can't support you anymore?" Said the angry voice of Gordon Specter."_

" _No, Dad, it's just…she thinks I have potential and she said that she wants to invest in me…" said 18 years old Harvey._

" _So, you are her charity case, huh? The boy from the mail room can suddenly become a lawyer, is that it?" said Gordon._

" _Dad, she thinks I have the potential to be a great lawyer…."_

" _Did you think about the example you are setting to your little brother? He is only 12 years old.'_

" _Yes, Dad, I did think about that and yes, if someone offers him an opportunity to change his life, I would want him to take it. The kid is already smarter than both of us together."_

" _Change your life? What exactly is wrong with your life? You have a roof over your head, you have a father that loves you, a brother, who adores you. And you are willing to throw all that away, because some rich lawyer has dangled some money in front of you…."_

" _You think this is about the money?! Dad, this isn't about the money! This is about getting a better life. I mean, think about Mike. If I become a lawyer, he could go to a private college, expand his horizons, he could fulfill his true potential….."_

" _His true potential? His potential is whatever I say it is. The kid may be smart, but he ain't no Albert Einstein. He is gonna work with me in the shop, and so are you."_

" _Dad, do you even know him at all? If you trap him inside of the shop he will suffocate! He loves to read, he loves to go to school….As for me, I have already decided, I am leaving."_

" _Okay, you don't get to teach me how to raise my own kid." said Gordon._

" _You know what? This is why Marcus left! You suffocated him, just like you are suffocating me and Mike."_

" _That's bullshit! Your brother left because of that whore Clarissa!"_

" _He was 15 years old and you drove him crazy! You have been driving me crazy for years! The only reason I stayed here is because of Mike. Because I am worried what will happen to him if I leave him here with you!"_

" _Watch it, boy! Don't you ever talk to me like that."_

" _Like what? Like I just told you the truth! You have been a terrible parent, ever since Mom died, and you constantly bully him!"_

" _What do you want from me, Harvey? You want me to let you go? You are 19, you can go."_

" _I don't want anything from you, Dad! I have given up, trying to get through to you. And as you pointed out, I don't really need your permission for anything. Mike needs you to be his father, because for some reason, that kid still has a light inside of him. A light, that makes him want to see good in you. Even though, you constantly bully him and insult him, he still has your back and he still needs your approval. So, here is the deal, Dad! You get a third chance with him, but I am warning you….if you do something, anything to make this light go away, I will bury you!" said Harvey, threateningly and headed towards the room that he shared with Mike._

 _As he opened the door he saw his brother lying on his bed, pretending to be asleep. It was an old trick, that Harvey and Marcus had taught him in case he heard his father come home angry. Harvey rolled his eyes, shook his head and said:_

" _Shouldn't you be asleep? Like for real?"_

 _Mike chuckled sadly and sat in his bed._

" _How did you know that I was awake?"_

" _How do I always know you are awake? You are a terrible actor. So, how much did you hear, you little rug rat?"_

" _Hey, you know I hate it when you call me that, you jerk! Are you really leaving?" whispered Mike and looked at his brother._

" _Ohh , so you did hear everything. Yes, Mike. I am afraid I have to go!"_

" _Can you take me with you?"_

" _Believe me, Mike, I wish I could, but I am just a phone call away if you need me! If it gets bad, you know where to go, right?"_

" _To Granny Edith! Or to Marcus." said Mike._

" _Yes, she would love for you to go and visit her. It has been weeks." Said Harvey. "Now go to sleep. It's late."_

" _Harvey, I am going to miss you. Please don't go!"_

" _I am going to miss you too, buddy. But I have to go! Besides you don't need me. You have Marcus, who is in the city and you have Granny."_

" _I love you, Harvey! Please don't go!" said Mike , hugging his brother tightly._

 _Harvey sighed and closed his eyes._

" _Ohh, I love you too, buddy. We will see each other again, I promise.¨_

 **Present day**

That was the last time he saw his father and his brother. Harvey regretted leaving his family like that, especially his brother, but his father didn't leave him with a choice. It was either that or live the rest of his life sorting mail in a law firm and selling groceries to the neighbors, in his father's shop. He hated that life. He wanted something better and he wanted something better for Mike too.

He always told himself, there would be time to fix his relationship with his father, to apologize, but there was make peace with him. His father was dead and his last words towards him were: "I hate you." That's right, Harvey couldn't fix his relationship with his father, he could most certainly fix his relationship with his brother.

Three hours later he was in the Presbyterian hospital. He went to the reception.

"Hi, I am looking for Michael Ross Specter."

"Just a moment, sir." Said the nurse and typed something on her computer. "What's your relation to him?"

"I am his brother." said Harvey. They looked at him and nodded.

"He is currently in surgery. You can wait over in the waiting here over there and they will update you, when he is out of surgery."

Harvey nodded and went to the waiting room, where he was greeted by Marcus, whose eyes were red from crying. The second he saw him, he went and hugged him tightly.

"Harvey…you are here."

"Of course, I am here…what happened?"

"I don't know….the hospital called me at 3 am and told me that…there's been an accident. Dad is dead and that Mike….they won't tell me anything about him. It's been three hours, Harvey…"

"He will be fine!" said Harvey, more to himself that to Marcus. "Did they say what caused the accident?"

"The police are still investigating...but they have a theory that Dad might have been drunk while he was driving."

"What?"

"I already lost Mom and Dad….I can't lose you or him…I just can't!"

"You won't! We won't lose him! Do you remember, when he was 8 and he fell off the tree and he cracked his skull? The doctors said that he might not survive the night, but he did! He is a fighter!"

The doors of the operation room opened and a doctor emerged from there.

"Family of Michael Specter?"

"Yes, we are his brothers. How is he?"

"Hello, Mr. Specter. I am doctor Neal Jamison and I have been treating your brother. I am not going to lie to you, when he was first brought in, he was in almost critical condition. We had to remove his spleen, because it was ruptured in the crash, so his immune system will be weaker than before. He lost a lot of blood and that caused his heart to stop beating twice during surgery, but fortunately we were able to revive him. In addition to that, he suffered a mild concussion, and a few minor cuts, which have sustained a few infections, so he has a slight fever, which is expected to go down soon. He is expected to make a full recovery." Said the doctor.

"Why do I get the feeling there is more to it? I am a law student…I am pretty much trained to read people." Said Harvey.

"When your brother was admitted, there were traces of alcohol, marijuana and some painkillers in his system, which could compromise his recovery. Are you aware that he might have drug problem?"

"What do you mean? He is underage!" said Harvey, and looked to his brother, who didn't look very surprised.

"Underage or not, he was definitely drunk and high at the time of the car accident. He is going to be a little irritable, when he wakes up, because he may suffer from withdrawal symptoms. But now, that his spleen is removed, he should stay away from those things, because it may actually kill him. So, I am going to keep him here for a week for observation. He is going to have to take antibiotics for the next two weeks and I am going to prescribe something for the fever and Tylenol for the pain. I also recommend rest for at least a week."

"Can we see him? "

"Of course. A nurse will show you to his room. He will be a little out of it at first, because of the fever. Now if you excuse me, it is time for my rounds." Said the doctor and left.

5 minutes later a nurse showed up and led the way to room 308.

Harvey sighed, at the sight at his little brother lying on the bed hooked to a heart monitor and an IV attached to his left arm. Mike was a little flushed, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises and there was a small cut on his forehead.

Harvey felt guilty, as he realized that this was the first time he has seen his brother in 3 years. He had definitely been a selfish brother and a selfish son and now his father was dead and his brother was in a hospital.

As if she was reading his mind, Marcus said:

"This wasn't your fault."

"What exactly wasn't my fault? I just found out that my father is dead and our brother is a drug addict…and you are seriously going to stand here and tell me that this isn't my fault! I shouldn't have left."

"Harvey, listen to me…."

"You knew about this, didn't you?" asked Harvey, and glared at his brother.

"Yes, Mike has been acting out for the last three months, he has been cutting school, drinking, smoking, and doing drugs."

"And why didn't you call me? Mike starts acting out and you don't tell me?"

"Because I knew you'd ditch everything and come back for him. And I didn't want you to ruin your future because of him!"

"Because of him? He is our brother! If you had called me, I would have knocked some sense into him."

"Harvey, he has been struggling with drugs for the last three months. Ever since, Granny died.

"Granny died? When?"

"Grandma died from a heart attack three months ago. Mike was the one who found her.¨

¨Why didn´t he call me? She was my grandmother too."

"Harvey…you've sacrificed everything for us. We just didn't want you to worry and to drop everything. You were finally living your life. We both agreed that we wouldn't call you."

"Ohh, you agreed? Did you also agree to keep me in the dark, while our 16 years old brother was destroying his life?"

"Harvey, I didn't even know about it, until three weeks ago, when one of Mike's friends, Rachel, sought me out and told me. I confronted him about it, we had conversation, he said he was never going to do drugs again."

"And you believed him? Damn it, Marcus! You should have been looking after him and you should have called me. And what about Dad, huh? Did he know about that?"

"I swear, I haven't seen Dad since Granny's funeral….but it didn't look like he cared."

Before his brother could answer, they both heard moan from the bed, which suggested that Mike was waking up.

"Mike?" said Harvey.

"Harvey? Marcus?" said Mike quietly sounding surprised. "What are you doing here? What happened?"

"There was an accident…"

Mike sat up quickly, as he remembered the accident.

"Oh my God! Is Dad okay?"

"No, he is dead!"

'What? No…he…couldn't be. It should have been me! I screwed up again! He should have never been in that car." Said Mike.

"What are you talking about?"

"What do you care? You left to become a hot shot lawyer! You should just go." Said Mike quietly.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, that you should go back to your law school, hang out with your friends and just leave! It's what you are good at doing!"

"Mike…you are out of line!" said Marcus. "What do you mean you screwed up again?"

"Am I out of line? What is he even doing here anyway?"

"Michael….he is here, because I called him, after the accident." said Marcus. "Now you will be nice to him, because you have no idea how terrified he was while you were in surgery."

"Why would you do that, Marcus? You had no right to call him! We agreed that we wouldn't call him."

"I had every right, Mike! I didn't call him when Grandma died, and I agreed with you. I didn't call him, when I found out that you were using, because you asked me not to, and you said you would quit! Something that I see that you haven't done!"

"Ohh, why don't you just go see your girlfriend. You left us for her, remember?"

For a second, Harvey wondered what was going on with the kid. And then, he was reminded, that this was sick Mike, that he was dealing with and his irritability had nothing to do with withdrawal. Mike always got irritable when he was sick, it was one of his trademarks, but then again there was always a bit of reason behind his outbursts and while Harvey knew that Marcus knew that Mike didn't mean the things he said, he also knew that he was the only one, who could get the kid to calm down and open up.

"Marcus, could you leave us alone for a few minutes. I need to talk to Mike alone."

"But…"

"Marcus…please…"

"Okay, I will be in the cafeteria." Said Marcus and left the room.

Harvey closed the door and turned towards his brother.

"What is wrong with you? Why are you lashing out on us?"

"Ohh, don't pretend you care! You left me! You left! Why don't you just go ahead and leave to Boston again?"

"I get that you are mad at us…."

"I am not mad at you. I hate you! There is a big difference."

"Really? Do you hate yourself too? What's with the drugs?"

"What are you implying? That I am an addict? You don't even know me! You don't know what I have been through during the past few years. How could you? You know what, you should just go. As you can see I am fine, so just leave! It's what you do best isn't it?"

"Oh, yeah, you really are fine! You are a picture of health. And you could blame me all you want for your misery, but you could have picked up the phone and called me if you needed me!"

"Just…leave." Said Mike, tears appearing in his eyes. "Leave! You know you want to!"

"Oh, so that you can call your buddies and get high the second you are out of the hospital? No! Forget about it! I am not leaving, Mike!"

"Fine, then I will go." Said Mike and removed the IV from his arm and stood up. "Where are my clothes?"

"Mike….I really don't think, that you should…." Said Harvey, seeing as his brother had just undergone surgery and he had a fever and he didn't look like he should move so much.

"Where are my clothes and my cellphone?" asked Mike, ignoring the sudden pain in his abdomen, the dizziness and the nausea, that suddenly ambushed him the second he stood up from his bed.

"Mike! Get back into bed!" said Harvey, now very worried. "You have a fever and you just had a surgery, so I don't think..…."

Before he could finish his sentence, Mike's knees buckled and Harvey ran to his brother's side helping him up and hugging him tightly. Mike fought him at first, but then he hugged him back and started crying.

"What are you doing, Mike? Why are you acting like this?"

"Why can't you go? You had no problem before!" said Mike between sobs.

"I am not leaving you, Mike!"

"I want you to go! Everyone, who gets involved with me dies, but for some reason, I survive! First, Mom, than, Granny, now, Dad! It is only a matter of time, before you or Marcus suffer the same faith. So, you are better off, without me."

Harvey sighed. So that's what this was about.

"Is that what you think, Mike? That this is all your fault?!"

"Well isn't it? If it wasn't for me, Mom would still be alive….

"It isn't true, Mike!"

"Yes, it is! Mom died, because of me. Dad told me…"

Of course. That definitely sounded something that their deadbeat father would say. At this moment Harvey wished he could bring his father back to life, so that he could kill him again.

"No, Mike, no! I thought we had settled this, years ago. This wasn't your fault! Listen to me, Mom was sick long before she was pregnant with you. The doctors told her that she couldn't have more kids and when she got pregnant with you….it was the happiest day of her life. She knew the risks, Mike, she and Dad, they both did. But they both loved you too much to let you die. And the complications during her pregnancy could have killed you too. You are not to blame, Mike."

"Well, Dad said…"

"Dad was an asshole, Mike! But he did love you…..he just had a funny way of showing it! Now, lie back down and I never want to hear you say that what happened to Mom was your fault. It was an accident…just like this car accident."

"But…" said Mike as he lied back down on the bed.

"No, "buts", Mike! We've been over this! Mom's death was not your fault!"

After a moment of silence, Mike spoke again:

"Harvey, I think I may have caused the accident."

Harvey did not see that coming.

"What? No, Mike, what caused the accident was the fact that Dad was an alcoholic that decided to drive his 15 years old son, while he was under the influence and he crashed into a tree."

"He wouldn't have been driving if me and my friend Trevor, hadn't been busted for possession and for underage drinking and they hadn't called him."

"Did I hear you right? Are you actually blaming yourself for the one fatherly thing that Dad did for you? It was his goddamn job to come and get you. Heck, he should have been there for you after Grandma died, instead of you trying to deal with this shit, all on your own. Now, that you have a shitty way of dealing with stuff, that's another thing. So now, that we've established that I am not going anywhere, I am asking you again, what's with the drugs, Mike?" said Harvey.

Mike looked at him tiredly and said: .

"To tell you the truth, I don't know. A few days after Granny died…it was like…a switch flipped. At first it was innocent….me and Trevor started smoking pot once or twice a week. It was just pot, I didn't think it would escalate. But then, one day, while I was cleaning up Granny's house, I found the pain killers that she used to take for her back. And I started taking them. And then nothing mattered anymore. I started to cut school with Trevor. When Rachel and Marcus confronted me about it, I tried to quit! And I did….I relapsed last night at a party with Trevor."

"Why do I hear a recurring name here? Who is Trevor? Do I know him?"

"Yes, you do! He was our neighbor, remember?"

"The kid? The one, I explicitly told you not to hang out with, because his parents were drug dealers? That Trevor?"

"Yeah, he was there for me, Harvey. He helped me out, after one of Dad's little episodes."

"God damn it , Mike, you should have called me. Why didn't you call me?"

"I…don't know, Harvey! I just wanted you to live your life without having to worry constantly about me…."

"Mike…I am your big brother. It's my job to worry about you."

"No, it isn't. Not anymore. I can take care of myself."

"Well, great job, kid! Drugs, alcohol, skipping school? Is that your idea of taking care of yourself? Aren't you supposed to be the genius in the family?" said Harvey.

Mike smiled sadly.

"Okay, I admit, that I have made a few bad choices, and mixing drugs with alcohol probably wasn't the best idea….Listen Harvey, about earlier…. I'm sorry for lashing out like that. I didn't mean those things."

"I know you didn't. You get grumpy when you have a fever, so I've learned a long time ago not to take anything to heart, when you are sick. But I am going to need you to promise me something….no more drugs, and no more Trevor!"

"But Trevor is my friend…"

"No, he is an anchor. He appeared in your life and you suddenly started using and you think that the two aren't connected?"

"Harvey…Trevor is…."

"I don't give a shit, who Trevor is, Mike! Cut him loose. You don't call him anymore, and you don't answer, you got that?"

"But Harvey…."

"No, buts, Mike! I mean it!"

Mike nodded. It was funny how, even though he hadn't seen his brother in over 3 years, Harvey could still convince him to do anything.

"So, when am I getting out of here? You know I hate hospitals and that I have spent my fair share of my life in them, so I want to get out as quickly as possible."

"Well, that depends. If you manage to stay put for more than 10 minutes and not rip your stitches, maybe they will discharge you in a few days."

"And then what? I am still a minor….am I going to a foster home?" asked Mike, as he suddenly realized that with his father's death, he was officially an orphan.

"Mike…do you seriously believe after the stint you just pulled I am ever going to let you out of my sight again?"

Mike burst out laughing.

"What are you gonna do, Harvey? You are a 21 year old student, who has no income. There is no way anyone will grant you custody of me. I am not a law student and I know that!"

"You let me and my friends at Pearson Hardman worry about it. The only thing, I want you to do right now, is to calm down and stay out of trouble. Do you think you can manage that?"

Mike glared at his brother and said:

"I'll try, but no promises."

After that Mike suddenly felt tired, but he wanted to keep talking to his brother so he blinked once in order to stay awake.

"Mike, go to sleep...You need it. Besides, I'd hate to point out the obvious, but you do look like shit." Said Harvey.

"I am not tired." Said Mike, while covering up a yawn.

"Still a shitty actor, kid." said Harvey and place a hand on Mike's forehead. "Besides, I think your fever is a bit higher and you could really use the rest. Don't want you getting sicker, right? Then you'd really be insufferable..." said Harvey half joking.

"I'm not insufferable..." said Mike slightly offended.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever..." said Harvey. After that Mike fell asleep and Harvey sat back on the hospital chair. As much as he hated to admit it, the kid did have a point. Taking custody of a 16 year old sibling was difficult and he really needed to discuss this with Jessica, but he couldn't leave Mike alone.

A knock on the door showed him that Marcus was back.

"How is our little ray of sunshine?" said Marcus, pointing to Mike's sleeping form.

"Well, he has been better...his fever got higher. He is asleep." said Harvey and sighed.

"Listen, I called Donna. I know you and Donna aren't exactly on the best of terms, but she can stay here while the social services come, so we can go back to our lives...She will be here in fifteen minutes, so unless, you want to have another fight with her, you should head back to campus." said Marcus, as if this was the most normal thing in the entire world. That made Harvey's blood boil. How could Marcus be so selfish? He stood up and pushed Marcus against the wall and dragged him out of the room, so that they wouldn't wake Mike up.

"Social sevices?! Are you insane? Don't you get that the reason Mike is in this mess is because we abandoned him?"

"He was never our responsibility. He only became one, because Dad refused to take care of him. He was Dad's responsibility, not ours."

"You know, Dad didn't give a damn about him. He didn't give a damn about neither of us, Marcus! We always had to look out for each other."

"You are right! Listen, I love him too, Harvey. I do! He is my brother too! But I want to have a life too. I spent my entire childhood, worrying about whether Mike was going fall, whether Mike was going to get into a fight, whether Mike slept or ate enough...I decided had had enough, Harvey...and so did you, you just don't want to admit it!"

"Marcus..."

"What would you have us do? Take custody of him? Harvey, neither one of us is capable of providing him stability and god, he needs it!"

"I don't care whether, I'd have to drop out of law school to take care of him, but I am not leaving him again, Marcus!" said Harvey.

"Uhum…guys! What are you two fighting about?" asked a voice next to them. Harvey turned around and he saw that Donna had just arrived in the hospital.

"Donna….nice to see you…." said Harvey. "We were just discussing a family matter. Nothing that concerns you."

"Nothing that concerns me, huh? I guess my boyfriend leaving for law school wasn't my concern either, huh?" said Donna and rolled her eyes at Harvey.

"You are still mad about that, huh?" said Harvey. Donna just glared at him and turned her attention to Marcus.

"How's Mike?"

"Well, actually we were discussing where he was going to live, when you came in. Harvey actually offered to ditch law school for him. I want him to go with social services, where he would be looked after…"

"So basically you want to bail on him…." started Harvey.

"STOP IT!"

The two men, were interrupted by Donna, who practically had to shout to get their attention.

"Where the hell is Mike?" asked Donna.

"What do you mean where the hell is Mike? He is sleeping in the room!" said Harvey, but as he an Marcus walked in the room they realized that it was empty and there was a note on the table by the bed.

Harvey felt his heart stop as he was reading the note, written in Mike's handwriting:

" _Dear Harvey and Marcus,_

 _I appreciate everything that you've done for me and I know that you both care about me, but I cannot be your burden anymore. I know you both want to help me and I appreciate it, but I cannot let you put your lives on hold for me anymore and there is no way I am going in the system. I think it's time for me to start living on my own. Harvey, don't worry, I will do my best to stay out of trouble and away from Trevor. Marcus, say hi to your wife for me. Tell her, that I am sorry for pulling you away like that._

 _I promise I will write to you the second I get settled down. I love you both so much._

 _Love,_

 _Mike."_

Harvey dropped the piece of paper that he was holding. His sick 15 years old brother was out there on his own…He felt it difficult to breathe. He needed to sit down for a bit.

"Oh my God, Harvey, are you okay?" asked a distorted version of Marcus's voice. "What happened?"

"Mike ran away." said Harvey and placed a hand on his head.

 **So that was chapter one. Sorry for the cliffhanger. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts. See you soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys. Thank you so much for the reviews. Sorry for the delay. I've been busy with answer to your questions, yes, Rachel and Jessica will be involved in the story, and so will Louis. All characters will be involved in the latter chapters. In fact, Rachel will have a pretty big role to play in this chapter.**

 **Chapter two**

"What do you mean, he ran away? How does a 15 years old kid with a 103 degree fever run away from a hospital?" asked Marcus, still having trouble believing the words that he was reading on the note that he took from Harvey, who was still sitting down, too shocked to speak or pay attention to what anyone was saying.

"He probably jumped from the window. We are on the first floor." said Donna, turning her attention towards Harvey, who was still sitting clutching his hand in a fist and looked paler than usual. "Harvey, are you okay?"

Harvey didn't register what Donna was saying. Her voice sounded distorted, distant. Everything was moving in slow motion and nothing mattered, other than the fact that his 15 years old brother was missing because of him. He could see Marcus picking up his phone and calling someone, but he couldn't hear, who it was.

'I am going to call someone…a doctor." said Donna and left the room.

"Okay, thanks Rachel, call me if you see him." Said Marcus on the phone and hung up. He turned his attention towards Harvey. "Harvey, we will find him, trust me. I called Rachel, she lives a few blocks from Granny's house and if he goes there, she will call me. Harvey, Harvey are you okay? Can you hear me?"

'He is gone, Marc. Our sick baby brother is gone because of us." Said Harvey, now slightly more coherent.

"Harvey...he couldn't have gotten very far. We will find him. See, that's exactly the reason, why we should consider putting him in the foster system."

Something in Harvey just snapped. How could Marcus talk about foster care in a time like this?

"Marcus! Shut up! If you want to go be with Clarissa, go! "

"Harvey..."

"No, it's obvious that you don't care about me or about Mike and all you care about is yourself and your wife. Go!"

"But, Harvey...you know that's not true."

"I don't care! Get out of my sight!" said Harvey, getting out of breath. "I said get out!' After that he passed out.

"Harvey!" said Marcus and ran out of the room to get help. A doctor came to check on Harvey accompanied by Donna.

"Marcus, what happened?" asked Donna.

"What happened? Captain Jerkface over there kicked me out of the room, because he thinks I don't care! After that, he passed out."  
"Ohh, Marcus, you know he didn't mean it, right. He is just upset about Mike and he took it out on you."

"Of course I know that, Donna. I am just as worried about Mike as he is...and he blames me, because we have a difference of opinion about what is best for him. Mike is my brother, I love him, I just don't think that me or Harvey are fit to care for him right now. I mean, he has been in our care for 15 minutes and we lost him!" said Marcus. 'And now, he passed out...and I have to go look for Mike..."  
"I'll stay. You go look for Mike."

Marcus nodded and left.

Donna turned around to see Harvey being put on a gurney and on a bed, and a doctor checking his vitals. The doctor eventually told Donna that he was dehydrated and sleep deprived and his blood pressure was a little high, so he said that he would like to keep him there overnight for observation. She sat on the chair right next to him and texted Marcus that Harvey was going to be fine.

To say that Mike wasn't feeling well, would be an understatement. He was feeling dizzy and nauseous , really hot and his head and his abdomen really hurt. Fine, maybe running away from a hospital with a moderately high fever after surgery wasn't really a good idea, but he wasn't going back there.

He wasn't going to let his brothers ruin their lives because of him and he wasn't going in the system. He had to get away from the hospital. He went to the wardrobe, got dressed, wrote a note, and he jumped out of the window.

He didn't see well, everything was blurry, but he knew where he was going. To the only place he felt like his home – his grandmother's house. Well, his grandmother's house was three blocks away from the hospital and he didn't think he could walk any further than that. He was feeling really tired, despite the fact that he had just woken up 15 minutes ago. He hated being sick. When he approached the house, he was surprised when he saw Rachel waiting in front of it.

"Rachel..what are you doing here?" asked Mike.

"Waiting for you...Oh my God! Mike, what happened? Marcus said there was an accident and that you'd be sick, and that you ran away from the hospital, but he didn't say that you'd look this bad."

"Of course, Marcus...called you. Does he know that I am here?" asked Mike. "He wants to put me in the foster system."

"Mike...you should go back to the hospital. Your brothers are worried about you! And you don't look okay? Jesus Christ, you are burning up!"said Rachel as she pressed a hand to his forehead.

"Yeah...I bet they are worried about me. They think I can't take care of myself." said Mike and coughed. "One of them wants to ruin his life by taking custody of me...and the other wants to put me in the system. I don't want to be anyone's burden, Rachel. Now get out of the way, I need to get inside."

"Yeah, not going to happen. You are going to the hospital." said Rachel. "You think you can take care of yourself, huh? Hell of a way to take care of yourself! Drugs, booze, cutting school and now running away from the hospital."  
"You actually sound like Harvey! And all of you are getting on my nerves! I wish you'd all just leave me alone and mind your own goddamn business." said Mike. "And by the way, I am still mad at you for telling Marcus about the drugs. I was handling it!"

"Yes, I sound like Harvey, and yes, I told Marcus, but I did those things because I care about you, and if you can't see that maybe we shouldn't be friends at all." said Rachel. "If you want to do what you want, than go inside that bug infested house that hasn't been cleaned since you grandmother died . I am done caring1" said Rachel and turned around to leave. But she was still worried about Mike, so she called Marcus to tell him where Mike was.

Mike entered the house and passed out on his grandmother's bed, with a note to apologize to Rachel later. He didn't mean what he said to Rachel. He was just so sick and so irritated. He just wanted to go to bed. He felt so tired and so weak and so hot. His head was killing him. He just wanted to sleep.

When Marcus got Rachel's message, he went straight to his grandmother's house, and told her not to hold anything he said to her against him, because he wasn't really himself when he was sick. When he entered his grandmother's house, he was greeted by a couple of cockroaches that went out of the kitchen. Everything was so dusty and dirty. If Mike really was here, it sure as hell wouldn't be good for him. It wouldn't be good for a healthy person, let along a sick person with a compromised immune system.

"Mike? Where are you? Mike! This isn't funny! Where are ...' and then he saw him lying down on his grandmother's bed. He ran to his brother's side and felt for a pulse. Thankfully, there was one, but he felt really warm and he was sweating. " Mike, wake up! Come on, wake up."

Mike stirred a bit. The voice sounded so familiar and yet so distant. Marcus?

"Marcus? What the hell..."

"Rachel called me...we need to get you back into the hospital. Do you have any idea how much you scared us?"

"No...hospit'l No...system..."

"Okay, we will talk about it when you are better, something that may not happen unless we get you out of this house. Okay, I promise you..we will talk about it! But first...I am pretty certain that staying in that bug infested house has probably made you sicker."

"Don't tell...H'vey. Don't want him to worry..." said Mike. Marcus looked at him worriedly. He knew that Mike's fever was high, but how high was it exactly? He must be pretty delirious not to remember, that Harvey was back from law school. He needed to get him to the hospital fast. He called for an ambulance and they told him to stay with him and make sure the fever didn't get any higher until they got there.

"Hey, hey…don't fall asleep….okay. You need to stay awake.

"Can't….I'm t'red….Marc…I am sorry….for being such a burden. It's all my fault. Mom…Dad….Grammy….it's my fault."

"I know you are, you have fever…but Harvey would kill me if you die on my watch, and then he'd kill himself. Yeah, Mike…about what you heard….I didn't mean it that way. You are not a burden….it's not your fault….none of this is your fault."

"Oh, yes…it is…a lot of things are….actually…Lucky 's death was my fault too…..I had to get her out for a walk….she was bigger than me…."

"Lucky? Our childhood dog? Mike…how do you remember that….you were like 5 years old?" said Marcus, now really worried. The kid was making no sense whatsoever.

"I still remember that car…the red car….that hit her. I wanted to go and save her….but I couldn't move. I should have saved her, Marc….But for some reason, I couldn't."

Marcus knew that he had to play along to keep the kid awake until the ambulance arrived. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, because, it was the first time when Mike had scared him and Harvey to death. And he was supposed to be watching him and at some point Mike just disappeared. And, boy, was Harvey mad when he found out that he had let a 5 year old walk a big dog. Harvey had run down the street when he saw their dog getting hit by a car and then there was Mike about to jump in front of the same car to save her life. Needless to say that Harvey ran as fast as he could and caught on to Mike, before any permanent damage was done.

"Yeah, that would be because, Harvey figured out that you had taken her out, and he caught on to you and was holding you so tight that you couldn't budge."

"And why did he do that?""

"Beats me! If it were me, I'd let you die. Are you kidding me? What kind of a question was that? She was a dog, Mike. You almost ran into the street to save a dog's life! That's nuts! But then again, you were also the boy, who decided that it would be a great idea to jump from the tree in front of the house, because he needed to break his best friend's record."

" Yeahh…. Harold still remains the best tree jumper in the neighborhood."

"As far as I remember you broke something else…."

"I broke a lot of things that day, didn't I? My arm, my leg and as memory serves me, my skull. Yeah, I spent a lot of months in the hospital after that jump. But it was still worth it!" said Mike and smiled. Suddenly he started coughing. Marcus didn't like sound of that cough. Seriously where was the goddamn ambulance? It should have been here by now. A doorbell told him that they had finally arrived. They put a semi conscious Mike on a gurney and Marcus rode in the ambulance with him. He just prayed to God that the kid got better, because if he didn't he would never forgive himself.

When Harvey woke up he was confused at first. He was lying on a bed in the hospital. When did that happen? God, he couldn't just lie down. He needed to find Mike. He started pulling his IV from his arm and then an arm stopped him. He looked up and he saw Donna's eyes looking at him.

"Donna, I need to find Mike!"

"Mike is here. Calm down. Marcus brought him here 2 hours ago. He is currently in ICU, since he suffered an infection, which caused a fever of a 105, and they'd like to keep an eye on it and get the fever down, they also said something about early signs of pneumonia, so they put him on antibiotics. Marcus is with him right now."

"Wait…how long was I out?"

"About 4 hours. The doctors said that they needed to keep you here overnight."

"And Marcus found Mike? Where?"

"Your grandmother's house. Apparently he has some sort of sentimental attachment to it."

"I should go see him….talk to him. Convince him that what he did was wrong."

"That's what Marcus is doing, even though you accused him of not caring about Mike."

"Donna..."

"You were out of line, Harvey!'

"Oh, so you agree with him, then! I should put Mike in the system!"

"No, Harvey...I don't agree with him, but I also don't think that you can take care of him!"

"Donna, I have been taking care of him, since the day he was born!"  
"Yes, and then you left for three years and he grew up! You don't even know him anymore!"  
"What do you mean, I know my own brother."  
"Do you? And what makes you think that he hasn't changed? He is a drug addict, for crying out loud...he has been arrested for possession two times in the past two months."

"What? How do you know about that? I only know about that last time, when my father had to get him out of jail before the accident."

"He got arrested again? I bailed him out the first two times. After the first time, it was just after your grandmother died. He didn't look good, Harvey. I told him to talk to you, Marcus or to your father. He said that your father wouldn't listen and that he doesn't want you to know. But he said that he'd stop and I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and trust him. The second time was two weeks later. He was arrested in a bar along with his buddy Trevor for underage drinking and for possession. I bailed him out again and I told him that his would be the last time helped him and that he needed to talk to someone, and that until he finds it he shouldn't call me. I called your father though...Mike was right. He didn't seem very coherent. What's weird was that, Mike actually seemed better when I met him two weeks ago. He seemed to have his shit together. Something must have happened to get off the rails again."

"Yeah, Rachel told Marcus about his addiction and he stopped for awhile...I have to get to the bottom of this, because there has got to be more to it. I get why my brothers didn't call me, but why didn't you?"

" I called you that night, after his second arrest, Harvey, but when I did and another woman picked up, I got upset and I hung up. Who was she, Harvey?"  
"She is a friend. Her name is Scottie...it's not what you think..."

" So you are not screwing her?" inquired Donna, and raised and eyebrow.

"Okay, we are hanging out, but, she is not you."

'Ohh, so you are not going to break up with her with a note, saying "I'm sorry honey, but I got to go to law school in Harvard."

"Okay, first, that's not what that note said. I remember what it said, because I wrote it carefully. Second, can we talk about this later? You know, after Mike is better?"

"That's what it said to me, Harvey! And you can talk to me how much you care about your brother, but you left him, the same way you left me! And you can blame all of us for not calling you, but you didn't once call to check up on him or on any of us! Tell me, have you even told this Scottie about your brothers, because my bet is you didn't!"  
"Don't psychoanalyze me, Donna!"

"It never took too much. You were happy living in Harvard, without Mike or me or Marcus. Admit it!"

"Donna, no...you know that's not the case!"  
"Admit it! Admit that there is a part of you, who actually felt happy that you were away from Mike! Because there is a part of you that agrees with Marcus, you are just too proud to admit it! "

"What? That's not true!"  
"Yes it is, god damn it. You just don't want to admit it, because you hate yourself for feeling those things. Because you think you are not allowed to feel them."  
"What do you want me to say, Donna? That I was happy when I was away? That I finally got to live my own life and not constantly worry about Mike's wellbeing? Fine, I was, and I hate it! Look what happened when I was away! And now, Mike is in a critical condition and I am worried and I can't help him and you are standing here psychoanalyzing me and..."

"I am not psychoanalyzing you, Harvey. I am trying to see if you really want to be Mike's legal guardian or are you doing it, because you are supposed to be doing it. Because, if you think that it is your obligation to be Mike's legal guardian as his older brother, then you won't just ruin your life...you will ruin his, too. So, next time you fight with Marcus about that, you better be damn sure, that you really want to be that kid's legal guardian."

Harvey just looked at her. She was right as always. He had to admit, he missed her constant nagging.

"Are you saying that you think that he would be better off in the system?"

"No, Harvey, I am not saying that. I think he needs his family, more than ever. But I am also saying that he needs stability and until you are sure you can provide him with that...you can't consider this. Can you seriously tell me that you can juggle law school, Scottie and Mike at the same time? Or are you planning on getting him to live with you in a dormitory in Harvard?"

"I don't know, Donna! But I can't leave him in the system. That's not up for discussion. And I am not doing it because I am supposed to, Donna. The truth is, I shouldn't have abandoned him in the first place. I should have called him...I should have...a lot of things. You are right. I did abandon him and I abandoned you and it was selfish...but if the choice is between Mike staying with me and Mike being in the system, I definitely want him with me."

"And that's what I wanted to hear. You really are ready to be his legal guardian. Now how about we get you to see him…huh. The doctors said you could see him after you woke up."  
"And you are telling me this, now?"

"Hey, we had to talk about these things." Said Donna and smiled.

Harvey talked to Mike's doctors. They said that it was okay for him to see him, just as long as he wore gloves and mask., since Mike's immune system was still too weak, but they were positive that they would be able to get him out of ICU and into a regular room in a few hours, because , even though he still had a fever, they were pleased with his recovery so far.

As Harvey entered Mike's room in the ICU, he saw Marcus sleeping in a chair next to Mike's bed. He also saw Mike, whose face was very flushed and very sweaty, and there was a nasal canulla under his nose. He was hooked on a machine, detecting his heartbeat and also on a bunch of IVs.

He shook Marcus's shoulder.

"You should really go home. Clarissa is probably wondering where you are. Plus you look worse than him. You really need to go and get some sleep. I'll call you if they are any changes." said Harvey. Marcus nodded and turned around to leave.

"Oh, and Marc…I am sorry. I didn't mean the words I said. I was out of line."

"It's okay, Harvey. Let's hope he gets better."

'Ohh, he will, don't worry. He is a tough one."

Two days later there was little change in Mike's condition. Sure the infection was almost gone, and they had got him out of the ICU and into a regular room. He still had a fever though. He had woken up a few times, but every time he'd ask about their dead grandmother or about their dog or would just talk complete gibberish, that nobody could understand. He also had a mild case of pneumonia, since apparently walking around in the spring with a fever and a compromised immune system was not a very good idea. Marcus, Donna and Harvey stayed with him all the time, taking turns during the night.

It was at nightfall, when Mike's fever finally broke and a few hours later he woke up. Harvey had settled up comfortably, well, as comfortably as he could in this chair, when he heard a moan.

"Mike?" said Harvey. "Mike, are you awake?"

Mike blinked once and said:  
"Harvey….What's going on? What happened?"

"You don't remember? You, being you, decided to run away."

"Oh, yeah, right. I overheard your conversation with Marcus and I just snapped."

"And you just decided to put your life in jeopardy, by running away with a 103 degree fever!"

"In my defense…I wasn't really thinking clearly at the moment."  
'Really? Do you ever think clearly?"

"Fair question…. maybe I screwed up again…I was upset, Harvey….I was mad and I was sick and then I overheard you guys. I'm sorry, I ran, Harvey!'

"Ohh, you should be. You scared the shit out of me. If you wanted to kill me, that was the perfect way to do that! You know, you actually put me in the hospital!"

"What? You've never been sick in your life! Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?! No, I am not okay! You disappeared, Mike! I thought you were dead, and you were pretty damn close to death! How can I possibly be okay after something like that!"

"Okay, again, I am sorry!"

"You are sorry! What would have happened if Marcus hadn't found you, huh? You would have been dead, in that bug infested house!"

"I had a fever, Harvey! I wasn't exactly thinking clearly!"

"All the more reason why you should have stayed put in the hospital! Normal people, who have a 103 degree fever stay in the hospital! They don't run away!"

"Okay, I told you, I am sorry! I am sorry I put you in the hospital and I am sorry I ran away! What do you want me to do?"

"No, Mike, I want you to think before you do something! And if you ever pull a stint like that again, I will kick your ass. How are you feeling? You've been out for quite some time."

"My head and my chest hurt a bit. And how long was I out?"

"Well, you've been in and out of consciousness for two days. I don't suppose you remember the moments that you were awake, though. You had a pretty high fever. Your fever broke a few hours ago. Marcus and Donna are in the cafeteria. "  
"Donna? You and Donna are speaking to each other? Last time I checked she was pretty mad at you for leaving her."  
'Ohh, she is mad….but what can I say…we had a common interest. You know she has always had a soft spot for you. By the way, we need to have serious conversation about the fact that you have been arrested two times before the last one after you get better."

Mike closed his eyes.

"Ohh, why do we have to go there?"

'Ohh, we do have to go there…if I am going to become your legal guardian, I do need to know these things."

"You….are going to be my legal guardian?"  
'"Yeah, called Jessica last night, she seemed against it at first, but she is drafting the paperwork as we speak…but there are ground rules. Since I technically have no income, the social services will be up our ass. So, no more cutting school, no more drugs, no more running away. No more Trevor. Also, since you love our grandmother's house so much, I will have it cleaned and we will move there."

"And what about law school?'

"I will manage. I have only a month of the semester anyway. I might need to commute to Harvard and back for a few weeks, but I will have Donna or Marcus keep an eye on you."

"Or maybe I could stay home alone.'

"Yeah….I don't know if I can trust you with being alone...By the way, who is Rachel? She came by earlier ,while you were unconscious. She seemed a bit upset with you, but she was worried about you."  
"She is a friend….I was terrible to her last time a saw her. It's a bit foggy, but I think I told her to mind her own business or something of that sort. She was only trying to help." Said Mike and started coughing.

"Yeah, yet another consequence of your little adventure. You have a mild case of pneumonia."

"Yeah, running away was a pretty dumb thing to do, huh. So when am I getting out of here? I need to tell Rachel that I am sorry."

"Yeah, they said they want to keep you here for at least three more days, to make sure that your infection is completely cleared up."

"Three days?"

"Yeah….I think you can manage staying here for three more days. After all you did spend most of your childhood in and out of the hospital."

'Once….I fall off of a tree once and I was 8…. And you never let me forget it! And you were supposed to be watching me!"

"Yes, and I told you not to climb on that thing, because it was too goddamn high, right? You still call that a tree? No, you couldn't have picked a regular tree. You had to pick the highest tree in the neighborhood. And do you remember what you said to me that day: "Okay, Harvey, I promise, I won't jump from it." And then what did you do?"

"Again in my defense I was 8 years old, and Harold said that he had done it, and it was fun. I had to try it for myself….and also I technically didn't jump from it. I slipped and fell."

"Yeah…but it was one hell of a fall! So, Harold said it was cool, then it must be cool, huh. Remind me again, how long did you stay in the hospital after this little venture? "  
"4 months….and I also have to come back every once in a while for a neurological checkup and also a few months of physical therapy….yeah…that was a pretty messed up situation."  
"Yeah, it seems like you have a habit of getting into messed up situations.¨ said Harvey. ¨Now how about we both get some sleep. You look like shit and I am pretty sure I look even worse than you do, so let's get some sleep."

"I am not tired." protested Mike, while desperately trying to keep his eyes open.

"Yeah, I know... You never are. You are the boy, who never gets tired, even when he is sick. Though you might want to tell that to your eyelids. They seem to be closing by themselves." said Harvey, chuckling. "But if you want to make it interesting, let's see who will fall asleep faster - you, who spent the last two days in a feverish sleep, or me, who caught about 8 hours of sleep in the last two days."

"Ohh, you are so on!" said Mike and chuckled. Five minutes later, he succumbed to the exhaustion brought on by the pneumonia.

Harvey shook his head before falling asleep. He was getting in over his head with this kid and he knew it.

 **So that was chapter two. By the way, how awesome is the new season? Personally, I think it is the best season so far.**

 **Next time: It's five days later. Mike is out of the hospital and trying to set things right with Rachel. Meanwhile, Jessica and Harvey enlist Louis's help when there is complication with the custody hearing which Harvey keeps a secret from Mike.**

 **See you soon!**


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